Fear and anxiety during birth can be quite an issue for mothers.
Speaking to midwives, it seems that pregnant women typically fall into two main camps:
1. Those who take their birth seriously, want to learn everything about it, read up on it, go to classes and do everything possible to be prepared.
2. Those who mostly leave managing the birth up to those around them.
I’m generalising but from what I hear, they are the two main camps – would you agree?
I’m keen to equip you with tools to help the second camp – the mums who don’t know much going in to their birth because unfortunately, when they get to you, there is no prep time and you have to try to manage their fear and anxiety about birth on the spot.
There won’t be much time to go into their history and find out what their triggers are, and certainly no time to then give them suggestions to try to minimise their fear and anxiety.
Acupressure for Fear and Anxiety During Birth
As you know, fear causes tension, which causes pain, which causes more fear, and the cycle continues. When in a state of fear and anxiety, women’s bodies don’t open up so well or relax to give birth as easily. That’s the cycle you really want to get them out of and it can be hard work.
Fortunately, there’s an awesome acupressure point that is just amazing when it comes to calming women during birth. It’s on the Kidney channel and on the bottom of the foot. So without saying too much to her, you could try this (do get her permission though and tell her it’s a soothing pressure point).
Kidney-1 Acupressure Point to Calm a Fearful, Anxious Mother
The point is called Kidney-1 or KD-1.
The anatomical location is on the sole of the foot, between the second and third metatarsal bones, approximately one third of the distance between the base of the second toe and the heel, in a depression formed when the foot is plantar flexed.
Wow that’s a mouthful hey. Just check the picture out and you’ll get it.
You can put quite a bit of pressure on this spot by using a small ball or a marble – the mother herself can even do that whilst standing up. If she’s kneeling down you can lean your body into it and use your thumb or knuckle. I find the best pressure comes from pressing into the sole and upwards towards the toes.
It typically feels calming and grounding. That’s a great way to remember the point too as it’s on the bottom of the foot and it grounds her.
We teach midwives the world over acupressure points for labour and we’ve had some solid feedback about this one, how it can really help calm a woman in a matter of minutes. Of course you need consent from her and a good vibe between you before you begin.
Physical touch in just the right spot can be so powerful and help to break that fear, tension, pain cycle. Then once she’s calm you can instruct her helpers to massage her lower back and do anything else that will give her the support she needs to reduce her birth anxiety and keep going.
Resources for Reducing Fear and Anxiety During Birth
Not too long ago we spoke to many incredible birth professionals around the world in our online Bumps Births Babies conference. We examined:
- how to reduce pain during birth
- where the best place to birth is
- how to get her hormones to really work for her
- how to get babies into the best position for birth
- how to prepare for birth with acupressure
- using yoga and meditation for calm during birth
- birth dancing
- spinning babies
- parenting
- breastfeeding
- sooooo much more!
The Bumps Births Babies holistic motherhood conference includes over 20 recorded seminars on all things pregnancy, birth and postnatal. Midwives, doulas, birth educators and mothers alike have sent us amazing feedback about what they were able to learn from our women experts, each with a unique perspective on birth and motherhood.
We’ve bundled it into a home study package that you can access immediately right here.
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